Dear
Mr Agarwal,
From the description here, it seems your father-in-law may be showing signs of
Dementia (most probably Alzheimer's Disease) as well as BPSD (Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia). Dementia is a progressive condition of the
brain. It involves loss of functions of a number of important brain areas and there is an over all reduction in the size of the brain, too.
You may need to consult a
Neurologist and a
Psychiatrist. The combined approach will help him with the symptoms of Dementia as well as the behavioral problems. The clinical evaluation will help you and the doctors understand the severity of the condition and diagnose any additional problems.
As mentioned above, Dementia is a progressive condition. This means the damage to the nerve cells in his brain (
central nervous system) will be on going. There are a few medicines that can help him slow down the progress of the
illness, but it is expected to progress further. You may need to make arrangements for a caretaker for him, as his wife is also aged, and may not be able to take care of him alone. It has been a common observation that the caretakers of Dementia and BPSD patients show signs of burn-out frequently.
I hope this helps a bit. And I wish you good luck with the process. Please let us know if you need more help. Take care.
Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD